Friday, 17 February 2017

World Animation: 'Waltz With Bashir' (2008)

Fig.1 'Waltz With Bashir' (2008) Poster

Directed by Ari Folman, 'Waltz With Bashir' (2008) is an Israeli war documentary animation that tells the story of director Folman himself and his journey to remember the lost memories of his time as a soldier in the 1982 Lebonan War.

Fig.2 Film Still

The film stands out for its exciting use of animation, it has an odd contrast between a 3D look whilst being 2D. Each shot is carefully crafted and stands out as a piece of art by itself. This gives the animation some great 'moments'. Moments that can make an audience gasp at the beauty of certain scenes.

If you were none the wiser about the war in Lebanon before seeing this film, then you come out of watching it with a clear idea of the suffering that must have happened. This sad and disturbing story juxtaposed with the sheer beauty of the animation combines for easy viewing. But what is interesting is the use of real world footage at the end of the film. This is such hard contrast compared to what the viewer has been watching for the last 90 minutes. It's a shock to see such harrowing images at the end of the film. It's not censored and it's left without explanation and makes a real impact on the viewer.

Fig.3 Film Still

'Waltz With Bashir' is innovative for it's style and mode of storytelling. Although at it's core it's actually a true story told by it's creator, you can't help but think that it's fictional. Which is something you would assume the country of Lebanon wishes it was. The film is actually banned there although has been seen by some Lebanese critics.

Overall the film is proof that even subjects with such harrowing content can create inspiring films that deal with social issues in new ways. Ari Folman created a masterpiece of animation.